Effect of Convective vs. Freeze Drying on the Hemp Bioactive Compounds

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and its fibres being durable are used in fabrics, sail making and papermaking. Its seed is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, 6) and its oil is used for cooking and for medicinal purposes. Cannabis contains cannabinoids, of which, ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been identified as the most active and responsible for psychotic and medicinal properties. In hemp, high levels of CBD is accumulated in the female inflorescences.
In order to extract and develop the product, drying is carried out which involves decrease in the moisture content of a material. A lower moisture leads to a decrease in the free water available for microbial activity. Consequently, spoilage micro-organisms are inactivated. Industries are adopting ancient drying methods to dry cannabis which are facing many problems including longer drying periods (5- 6 days), mold contamination and poor quality. Hence, the objective of the project is to reduce the drying time with maximum quality retention to the selected products used. Freeze drying is one of recent developed technology which dries the frozen product by sublimation under vacuum. Freeze drying is operated at low temperatures which reduces the volatile losses producing premium quality product.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alex Martynenko

Student:

Sai Kiran Reddy Challa

Partner:

Truro Cannabis Co

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Dalhousie University